Allied7 Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 What's up? I have played an SG for years and was always looking to pick up a Les Paul. There are so many different models etc. it is a little overwhelming. My question is if you had a bank roll up to $2,000 and placed mostly rock / blues what would you buy? Year? Custom? Standard? etc. I saw a 2004 1957 re-issue for sale in my area and was going to take a look. He wants $2,000 for it. Opinions on this guitar? Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazytrain513 Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 What's up? I have played an SG for years and was always looking to pick up a Les Paul. There are so many different models etc. it is a little overwhelming. My question is if you had a bank roll up to $2,000 and placed mostly rock / blues what would you buy? Year? Custom? Standard? etc. I saw a 2004 1957 re-issue for sale in my area and was going to take a look. He wants $2,000 for it. Opinions on this guitar? Thanks in advance. Hello and welcome to the forum! Pictures of the RI would help a lot! What's important to you? Weight, aesthetics, pickups, neck profile, fretboard material, etc.? All those things play a huge part in what model will work best for you. From what it sounds like, if you're coming from the SG territory, the '57 RI may not be your cup of tea. It's heavy and the neck profile will be very thick -- two things dead-opposite from your SG. If you have $2000 to spend I'd suggest a used Standard with a 60's profile neck -- those are easily attainable in your price range. You could also pick up a brand new 2013 Traditional which I hear nothing but good things about, and you may still even have money left over afterwards. But like I said, your preferences matter a whole lot so let us know what those are and we can better assist you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allied7 Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 Hello and welcome to the forum! Pictures of the RI would help a lot! What's important to you? Weight, aesthetics, pickups, neck profile, fretboard material, etc.? All those things play a huge part in what model will work best for you. From what it sounds like, if you're coming from the SG territory, the '57 RI may not be your cup of tea. It's heavy and the neck profile will be very thick -- two things dead-opposite from your SG. If you have $2000 to spend I'd suggest a used Standard with a 60's profile neck -- those are easily attainable in your price range. You could also pick up a brand new 2013 Traditional which I hear nothing but good things about, and you may still even have money left over afterwards. But like I said, your preferences matter a whole lot so let us know what those are and we can better assist you! Thanks for the reply. I did read about the thicker neck and it was a concern. I do not have a problem with the weight issue. I did read that starting in the mid to late 2000's Gibson started to hollow a large portion of the body out without really letting anyone know. Some people I spoke with said they noticed a difference in the sound before they were told about it. They said I couldn't go wrong with one from the 90's as this is before they started to hollow the body. I probably would not have known as I am not a Les Paul guy yet but it is a concern. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Thanks for the reply. I did read about the thicker neck and it was a concern. I do not have a problem with the weight issue. I did read that starting in the mid to late 2000's Gibson started to hollow a large portion of the body out without really letting anyone know. Some people I spoke with said they noticed a difference in the sound before they were told about it. They said I couldn't go wrong with one from the 90's as this is before they started to hollow the body. I probably would not have known as I am not a Les Paul guy yet but it is a concern. Thanks again. Hello.. Actually they started weight relieving in the mid to late 80s... I would not worry about it.. Its one of those weird things we talk about on here often... I have three Les Pauls.. One is a Classic from 2002, one is a 2008 Standard and one is a Studio.. The Classic weight about 11 lbs and is a heavy mother.. I always thought it was solid but its weight relieved. The Standard is chambered and weights about 8/9 lbs and the studio is also chambered and weighs about 7 lbs.. For some of the original solid bodies they use wood that can weigh even less as they choose specifically light wood for them. So don't let that be a factor.. Play what feels good and sounds good to you.. Don't worry about those details. Also to be honest having a heavy beast is not always great.. After a 4 hour jam session you really feel it. Also it sounds like you want a slim 60s tapered neck which is also my personal preference. The other thing to consider is what sort of sound you want.. This may also help determine what to get.. Classics for instance are pretty hot sounding (not to most peoples liking) where as 57s are more mellow and classic sounding and BurstBuckers are kind of in between. And after that its the look.. Do you like falmey tops (the new standards) or do you like plain tops with dark burst type thing (LP Classic). Also as mentioned the new Traditionals are pretty darn good and they are the first full solid bodies from Gibson USA that weve seen in a while. Heres a couple of good vids to check that may help.. Hope that helps... Let us know if you have more questions and what you decide (we expect pictures :)) The best advice that we can always give though is that each Gibson is unique.. The wood differs in each guitar, the necks are hand finished so each is different and the setups (pickup height) are also ever slo slightly different. Try as many guitars as you can, you will soon get an idea what you like and what you don't.. And one day that one will just jump out at you and you will know, its THE ONE :) Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba_leon Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Thanks for the reply. I did read about the thicker neck and it was a concern. I do not have a problem with the weight issue. I did read that starting in the mid to late 2000's Gibson started to hollow a large portion of the body out without really letting anyone know. Some people I spoke with said they noticed a difference in the sound before they were told about it. They said I couldn't go wrong with one from the 90's as this is before they started to hollow the body. I probably would not have known as I am not a Les Paul guy yet but it is a concern. Thanks again. There are several versions of the "hollowing out" process. Search Les Paul weight relief and you'll get all the answers you need. My recommendation would be be a Traditional. They are the LP Standard prior to 2008. IMO on par with anything made in the 90's. The 2013 models has no weight relief and have Kluson(Tone Pros) tuners and Sprague orange drop capacitors. It'll run you 250 smackers over your budget, but it's well worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 My question is if you had a bank roll up to $2,000 and placed mostly rock / blues what would you buy? Wait for a Musician's Friend 15% off sale and buy a new Traditional (which I recently did ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Jacob Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Wait for a Musician's Friend 15% off sale and buy a new Traditional (which I recently did ). How did you get them to take the coupon? Gibson is one of the 100's of brands that are not eligible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 1367263049[/url]' post='1368343']What's up? I have played an SG for years and was always looking to pick up a Les Paul. There are so many different models etc. it is a little overwhelming. My question is if you had a bank roll up to $2,000 and placed mostly rock / blues what would you buy? Year? Custom? Standard? etc. I saw a 2004 1957 re-issue for sale in my area and was going to take a look. He wants $2,000 for it. Opinions on this guitar? Thanks in advance. If you look you can find deals. I got a traditional for less than $2000 because it was a scratch and dent. It does have the 50's neck however. Here's one My link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTD Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 How did you get them to take the coupon? Gibson is one of the 100's of brands that are not eligible. Call and talk to someone. You should be able to get them to take at least 15%, whether they do it based on the coupon or some other salesman discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 How did you get them to take the coupon? Gibson is one of the 100's of brands that are not eligible. Gibson enforce a minimum advertised price on their dealers. You can ALWAYS get a lower price than the advertising for exactly that reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vexorgtr Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Gibson enforce a minimum advertised price on their dealers. You can ALWAYS get a lower price than the advertising for exactly that reason. The Gibson dealer I go to doesn't put prices on anything..... you just ask. If you are a good client, and the guitar has been in stock too long, the price may amaze you. If it's new and "just in" it will still be priced VERY competitively. Support your indie stores! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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